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Bibliography w/6 sources One of the foremost Elizabethan tragedies is Hamlet by William Shakespeare and one of the earliest critics of tragedy is Aristotle. ... Hamlet is one of the most recognizable and most often quoted tragedies in the all of English literature. Aristotle, is concerned with the proper presentation of tragic plays and poetry. Aristotle defines tragedy as:
". ... (Aristotle 38 - 9)
Shakespeare uses character, plot and setting to create a mood of disgust and a theme of
proper revenge, as opposed to fear and pity, hence Aristotle would have disapproved of
Hamlet. It is the above mentioned elements; character, plot and setting, used in a non-
Aristotelian way, that makes Hamlet work as a one of the English languages most renown
tragedies. ... This is the main plot of Hamlet. In Poetics, Aristotle defines for us, the element of plot and shows us how he believes it must be put together. ... Aristotle believes in what he calls "Unity of plot" (Aristotle 42 - 3). This "Unity" leaves no room for subplots, which are crucial to the theme of Hamlet. ...
Another of the ways Aristotle defines plot in tragedy as "The noble actions and the doings of noble persons"(Aristotle 35). By this definition, Hamlet should be a noble person, who does only noble things. Aristotle would have objected to Hamlets refusal to kill Claudius during prayer which forms the turning point of Hamlet. ... Hamlet wishes to get revenge when Claudius "Soul may be damned and black / As hell, whereto it goes (Shakespeare 3, 3, 94 - 5). By waiting for the right time, Hamlet loses his chance to achieve revenge. ... Aristotle also believed in heros that are "First and foremost good (Aristotle 51)." Although Hamlet spends much time deliberating good and evil, and what the greatest good is, when it comes time, he cannot act. ... Fortinbras is the type of hero that Aristotle would have preferred, although from Fortinbras point of view the play is not tragic; instead it is a comedy where all of the other characters run about and in the end through no fault of his own, Fortinbras receives the kingship of Denmark. The plot events with which Aristotle disagrees give meaning to Hamlets theme.
Shakespeare uses the plot to help create the mood of Hamlet by incorporating subplots and by having his tragic hero do things which are particularly unheroic.
Approximate Word count = 1919
Approximate Pages = 7.7
(250 words per page double spaced)
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